1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an in-vehicle display apparatus, a server, a vehicle information display system, and a communication method.
2. Description of Related Art
The number of types of data displayed on an in-vehicle display device to notify a user is increasing. There has been developed a display device that indicates, in addition to basic data, such as an engine rotation speed and a remaining amount of fuel, fuel consumption data, data about a distance-to-empty with the remaining amount of fuel, or the like. Hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles are required to notify a user by indicating data of types that are significantly different from those of engine vehicles. Such data are, for example, a battery level, data that indicates whether the vehicle is in power running operation or regenerative operation, and the like.
As matters stand, the above-described pieces of data are displayed on a meter provided by a device maker. A meter design provided by a device maker is fixed, and a meter provided by the device maker is not necessarily easy to see for everyone. Then, a technique that a user creates a meter design has been proposed, and is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-297319 (JP 10-297319 A).
In the technique described in JP 10-297319 A, a connector to which a keyboard is connectable is provided at an instrument panel in a cabin. A user creates a meter design by using the keyboard. For example, where a speedometer is arranged in an in-vehicle meter image display device, what size of the speedometer, what design of the speedometer, and the like, are determined. A tachometer, a fuel level gauge, a status indication lamp of a turn signal indicator, and the like, are also similarly designed. Alternatively, it is possible to make a meter design with the use of a mobile computer. In this case, the mobile computer is connected to an in-vehicle computer, and a meter design file is transferred from the mobile computer to the in-vehicle computer. The in-vehicle computer is able to store a plurality of types of meter design files. For example, a meter design file for digitally displaying vehicle data, a meter design file for displaying vehicle data for elderly people, and the like, may be stored in advance, and one of those meter design files may be loaded and displayed on the meter image display device.
With the technique described in JP 10-297319 A, a user is able to create a meter design to be displayed on the meter image display device. In addition, it is possible to store a plurality of types of meter designs in advance and display one of the meter designs, selected from among them.
With the technique described in JP 10-297319 A, the user of a vehicle is able to create a meter design to be displayed on the meter image display device. Recent meters have many display items, and require much time to create a satisfactory meter design. There is a problem that there is no time to create a design or a design is complicated or difficult. There are many users who have complaints with a mono-design provided by a device maker but are also hard to create a design by themselves. The specification provides a technique for eliminating complaints of users who have complaints with a mono-design provided by a device maker but are also hard to create a design by themselves.
It is possible to change a meter design with the technique described in JP 10-297319 A. For example, it is possible to change from a digitally displayed meter design to a meter design for the elderly people. Meter designs have characteristics. Some meter designs are suitable for travelling in urban roads, and others are suitable for travelling on expressways. In the case of JP 10-297319 A, a relationship between a meter design and a characteristic is not taken into consideration, so an appropriate meter design is not always displayed. For example, when an expressway-travelling meter design is selected, the meter design changes to the expressway-travelling meter design even while travelling on an urban road. The reverse phenomenon also occurs.